Even though Amazon’s October Prime Day has officially come to a close, there are still some great deals to be had on headphones and earbuds from Apple, Beats, Sony and others. These last few discounts aren’t likely to be around much longer, so keep that in mind when planning your purchase.
Here’s a look at the best deals we’ve spotted so far. (We’ve tested most of the models we’re highlighting.) We’ll be updating this list as the deals change, too, so be sure to keep checking back if you don’t see the discount you’d been hoping for. The prices are quite volatile right now, so who knows what discounts could crop up over the next few hours?
Read more:Best Wireless Earbuds for 2023
Best Prime Day wireless headphones and earbuds deals
Staying safe on the internet is harder than ever, but it can be made easier by using a VPN, a service that helps protect your internet activities from prying eyes. Right now you can pick up a two-year subscription to one of the biggest names in town for just $3 per month, but be quick — this deal is going to be available only for a limited time. This deal will get you two years of IPVanish for $71.76, which is a 76% savings on the price you’d pay if you chose monthly billing. This deal ends Oct. 17.
IPVanish helps protect you when you’re using an unsecured Wi-Fi connection, like at a coffee shop, but it can also be super handy even when you’re at home and using your trusted network. Why? Because with servers in more than 75 regions, it can help you appear as if you’re somewhere else. And that’s huge if you want to watch content that might not be available in your country.
IPVanish can help you route your internet traffic via other countries to unlock content otherwise not available easily (or at all) in your home area, including movies, TV shows and sports. The service doesn’t have any data caps for you to worry about, nor does it log any of the traffic you send or receive over its connection. That’s all good stuff for folks keen to use their VPN to the max without worrying about their privacy.
IPVanish also boasts 24/7 support for those times when something isn’t quite right, and with multiple connection protocols on offer, you’ll always be able to get the best connection, no matter your device. Apps are available for Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones, Android Phones, and more. You can even use IPVanish with your Apple TV and Fire TV devices, too.
With the October Prime Day sale officially over, a lot of deals have expired. That being said, there are still plenty of remaining deals you can take advantage of, especially at the $50 or under price bracket. There are continuing offers on everything from home essentials to games, so be sure to check the full list out.
Also, be sure to keep an eye on our Prime Day live blog for more big discounts. And if you’re looking for even more affordable finds, you can check out our roundups of the best deals under $10 and under $25 as well. We’ll continue to update this page as expire or crop up, so be sure to check back for the best bargains available.
You don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to get a pair of wireless earbuds anymore and the Anker Soundcore P20i are a great option for those who want to spend a little but get a lot. They’re normally available for around $40 which is already a great price, but order now and you’ll pay half of that — that means you’ll get your earbuds for just $20.
That price assumes that you’re already an Amazon Prime subscriber but don’t worry if you aren’t. Amazon says it will give you a 30-day free trial if you click a box on the product page. Don’t want to do that? You can still save $10 but really, why wouldn’t you? Just be sure to cancel your subscription if you don’t want to keep it.
These Soundcore P20i wireless earbuds come in a choice of three different colors and they’re all great options. There’s black, blue, and white to choose from so make sure to select the color that you prefer before adding anything to your cart. We’re quite taken with that blue, but it’s your money — we’ll let you pick.
Color aside, the P20i all have the same features on the inside. That means you’ll get 10 hours of battery life on a single charge with the case extending that to 30 hours. You can top them up for 10 minutes and get a full two hours of playtime should the need arise, too.
Like all good earbuds these have built-in microphones for making calls, and there are 22 preset equalizers to choose from to make sure you get the perfect sound as well.
After an on-screen absence of nearly 20 years, that familiar theme song about tossed salad and scrambled eggs is hitting the airwaves once more, as Kelsey Grammer returns for a revival of the hit comedy show, Frasier.
Frasier originally started life as a spin-off of the ’80s comedy smash Cheers, and this reboot sees things come full circle with the titular character now based once more in Boston having moved back from Seattle.
The psychiatrist-turned-talk show host has returned to Beantown to be closer to his now grownup son Frederick, who has dropped out of Harvard to become a firefighter. When an opportunity beckons for him to lecture at his old university, Frasier is flattered into making his move a longer stay.
While Grammer is back in the lead role, both original series stars David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves decided to opt out of returning, meaning there’s no Niles or his wife Daphne. The death of John Mahoney means we sadly won’t also be seeing Frasier’s father Martin Crane sitting in his beaten up old armchair this time out.
Instead, it’s a largely new ensemble cast, with Jack Cutmore-Scott starring as Frasier’s son Freddy, Anders Keith taking the role of Frasier’s nephew David, Jess Salgueiro as Freddy’s roommate Eve and Toks Olagundoya as Olivia, the head of the university psych department. UK comedy fans will meanwhile see a familiar face playing the boozy university professor Alan, with that role taken by Nicholas Lyndhurst, the former star of classic BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses.
Will the reboot match the laugh count of the much-loved original? Read on to find out how to watch Frasier, no matter where you are in the world.
When does Frasier start?
Frasier premieres its first two episodes of a 10-episode season on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 3 a.m. ET via streaming service Paramount Plus.The opening double bill of episodes will also be broadcast on linear TV station CBS on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 9:15 pm. ET. New episodes are set drop on Paramount Plus every Thursday and on CBS every Tuesday from then on.
How to watch Frasier from anywhere on VPN
So what if you’re traveling outside your home country and want to enjoy the show or want an added layer of privacy for streaming? There is an option that doesn’t require searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a VPN, or virtual private network.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the show. If you find yourself unable to watch locally, a VPN can come in handy. Plus, it’s a great idea for when you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
Most VPNs, like CNET’s Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it easy to virtually change your location. Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals.
Watch Frasier in the US, Canada, UK and Australia
With episodes being released first on Paramount Plus, the streaming service looks like the best bet for fans of the show. If, however, you’re prepared to wait a few days to get your fix of Dr. Crane’s latest exploits and you have CBS on cable you can tune in to the show on linear TV or livestream via the CBS website — all you’ll need for sign-in is your cable provider details.
Comedy fans around the globe will be pleased to hear that Frasier’s new adventures in Boston will also be available to watch in Australia, the UK and Canada via Paramount Plus, with episodes being released in those territories in tandem with the US release schedule.
Watch Frasier on a live TV streaming service
Tips for streaming Frasier using a VPN
With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — experience and success may vary.
If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
If you’re having trouble viewing after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log in to your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a network’s app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
Nintendo Switch deals are rare and we didn’t see any notable savings on the console alone during Amazon’s October Prime Day event. However, Amazon-owned Woot is currently offering a $35 discount on the Nintendo Switch OLED, dropping it down to $315. Both white and blue and red versions are available. The deal is good for today only, though, and we’ve seen previous Switch deals at Woot sell out within a few hours so you don’t want to dally.
Unlike many Woot deals, the Switch OLED models on sale today are offered brand new so you don’t have to settle for a pre-owned or refurbished device. The devices will ship in the regular Nintendo retail packaging with all the accessories you’d expect a brand new unit to come with. The main downside is that the warranty, provided by Woot, is shorter than you’d get brand new with 90 days of coverage in case of any issues.
The Nintendo Switch OLED is the best Switch console on the market right now and our top pick when it comes to handheld game consoles overall. It has a larger screen than both the original Switch and Lite models, with a 7-inch OLED display offering more vivid colors and greater contrast. The device also has a redesigned kickstand and TV dock, along with 64GB of internal storage. Whether you’re investing in a Nintendo Switch for the first time, want to upgrade your current device or are buying a console as a gift, this deal makes it much more affordable — while supplies last.
Amazon’s October Prime Day might be over, but we’re still seeing a lot of great deals on both budget and flagship phones. Similarly, the anti Prime Day deals that we had from Amazon’s competitors are still around, so there are many opportunities to grab a good phone deal from there. We don’t know how long these deals will last, so be sure to grab something that you like before its deal expires.
We’ve done our best to find deals that align with our own favorite phones, such as phones from our best phones under $300 and best phones overall lists. As such, we’re confident in all the phones we’ve suggested below — whether they’re ultrabudget devices or higher-end flagship phones, you’ll find a good phone with a great price. We’ve also focused primarily on unlocked phones that will work on all US carriers and noted where carrier service is required to get the deal.
Though we’re beyond the end point of Amazon’s October Prime Day event, there’s a surprising amount of Apple deals you can still snag today. Given how infrequent Apple discounts tend to be, now is a rare opportunity to snap up a new Mac, iPad, Apple Watch or set of AirPods without paying full price.
We’re keeping this list refreshed for a little longer even though Prime Day is over, so keep checking back for the best Apple Prime Day deals that are still available.
The Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 hit shelves a couple of weeks ago, and with them they’ve brought all sorts of exciting features. And the new upgrades seemed to have a theme this year.
While I was watching Apple’s 2023 Wonderlust event online, I noticed that the software and hardware updates the company has brought to the Apple Watch. Apple seems to be championing connectivity, with features designed to let you better connect with your health, better connect with your other Apple devices, and even better connect with folks around you. NameDrop is designed for the latter, and it lets you share contact information almost instantly.
Here’s what we know about NameDrop for the Apple Watch. For more, here’s how to upgrade to iOS 17 and how to download iOS 17.
What is NameDrop?
NameDrop is a new way for Apple Watch users to share contact information, with a simple and subtle movement of the wrist. NameDrop works much like AirDrop does to quickly share a file or send a photo. Gone are the days of typing phone numbers or handing over your phone so someone can put their number into your contacts.
During its event, Apple showed two people placing their Apple Watches near each other to swap contact info. Apple says this is enabled by the brand-new S9 chip.
How can I get NameDrop?
Though the feature was announced as part of WatchOS 10, the fine print of Apple’s breakdown of both WatchOS 10 and iOS 17 reveals that NameDrop will officially be coming to Apple Watches “later this year.”
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, Apple released Watch OS 10.1 developer beta, which gave those who downloaded the update a chance to finally make use of NameDrop on the Apple Watch. If you haven’t already updated your watch to Watch OS 10, and you want to make use of NameDrop on your watch but don’t want to run beta software, you’ll need to wait for it to be available widely.
Can I use NameDrop if I don’t have an Apple Watch?
If you’re an iPhone user and you want to get in on all the NameDrop action, you’re in luck. Apple’s iOS 17, which has finally arrived, comes with NameDrop capabilities. So, if you’re an iPhone user running iOS 17, you’ll be able to use NameDrop to immediately swap contacts with another iPhone user running iOS 17, and also with Apple Watch users running Watch OS 10.1.
How does NameDrop Work?
Apple calls NameDrop a “new AirDrop experience” where “a user can hold their iPhone near another to share their contact information with only their intended recipient.” Apple also said that users will be able to pick and choose what information gets shared over NameDrop.
According to MacRumors, all you need to do is navigate to the Contacts app, select your contact and then Share. After that, your watch should direct you to place your watch near another Apple Watch or iPhone to share your contact information.
Apple has also said that watch users will be able to use NameDrop by tapping the My Card watch face complication and then bringing their Apple Watch face to face with someone else’s Apple Watch or iPhone. It’s important to note that NameDrop can only occur between two devices if they are either running Watch OS 10.1 or iOS 17.
For more, here’s everything on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. And here’s how to turn off NameDrop on your iPhone.
The Google Pixel 8 is unlike any other phone you can buy today. After testing it for nearly a week, I realized that the Pixel 8 and its AI features offer an early glimpse at how photography, calling and even our phone’s wallpaper could evolve. I wouldn’t run out and buy a Pixel 8 today solely because of these features, but it certainly shows how AI will continue to be integrated into our daily lives.
For example, there’s a feature called Best Take (which I keep calling Face Swap) that works when taking a few consecutive photos of a person or group of people. After taking the photos, I can pull up a face and head editor (my term, not Google’s) in Google Photos and swap out a person’s head with a different version from another image from the series to get their best facial expression. The result is a photo where everyone’s eyes are open and smiling, if that’s what you want.
Philosophically, this photo doesn’t actually exist because the moment never happened. And yet, here it is.
At first, Best Take creeped me out. But after applying it to a variety of photos of friends and coworkers, I think it’s incredible and works remarkably well. I can’t see any lines where the heads were swapped. (Yep, I actually wrote that.) And I still can’t fully get my head around the possibilities that Best Take opens up. It’s the start of a path where our photography can be even more curated and polished, even if the photos we take don’t start out that way.
Will Best Take make us more vain by giving us another tool to present a seemingly ideal version of ourselves online? Or should I just enjoy that I can have a nice photo where my friends look their best at that possible moment? I’m still conflicted.
Starting at $699 ( 699, AU$1,199) the Google Pixel 8 is an ideal phone for most people. And even if you aren’t interested in the AI features (and there are a lot of them), the Pixel 8’s updated design, display and cameras make it one of the best non-Pro Google phones. The higher price seems worth it and makes you realize just how incredibly affordable the Pixel 6 and 7 were.
The Pixel 8 is smaller, lighter and brighter
The Pixel 8 is like a svelte version of the Pixel 7. It’s shorter and less wide, although it’s actually 0.2 millimeters thicker. It weighs 10 grams less than the Pixel 7. Combine all that with the fact that nearly every edge is rounded over, and you’ll find, like me, that the Pixel 8 is incredibly comfortable to hold, with or without a case.
My review unit is the rose color, which in most lighting looks peach.
The screen is smaller, but so are the bezels around it. The 6.2-inch display now has a 60 to 120Hz variable refresh rate for smoother scrolling and a higher max brightness. It’s easy to see under bright sunlight, especially compared with the Pixel 7 and 7A, which look dim by comparison. Watching films, playing games or just admiring mundane Android 14 animations were all enjoyable on the Pixel 8’s screen.
The back is still defined by that wide camera bar, which I like. Overall, the Pixel 8 looks dapper and almost chic.
The Pixel 8 has a new main camera sensor
The Camera app has a slight redesign. There are two icons at the bottom: a photo camera and a video camera. When I tap on the photo camera, all the modes under the viewfinder change to photo-centric ones like portrait mode and long exposure mode. And when I tap on the video camera symbol, the modes become specific for video like slow motion. It took about a day to get used to this change, but I’m a fan of the new layout.
Also, the Pixel 8 has a new macro focus feature that kicks in when the phone’s main camera is within centimeters of a subject. I like this addition and found it useful for food and coffee snaps, where I want to get close enough for the cup or plate to fill the frame while remaining in focus.
The 12-megapixel ultrawide camera is the same as the one on previous Pixel models. The 50-megapixel main camera has a new sensor that Google claims can collect 21% more light. The front-facing camera is also new, but still only has fixed focus on the Pixel 8 – compared with the Pixel 8 Pro’s front-facing autofocus camera.
Take a look below at some of my favorite photos that I took with the Pixel 8.
Does the Pixel 8 take better photos than the Pixel 7? Yes. But they’re not dramatically different. Check out the photos below of the Manhattan Bridge. Both look great.
But if I punch in on where the main upright section intersects with the deck, you can see that the Pixel 8’s image below has more detail and sharpness. Notice the individual rivets on the metal uprights compared to the Pixel 7’s photo, where most of them don’t show up.
The Pixel 8 is defined by its camera AI tools
The Pixel 8’s AI features like Best Take steal the show when it comes to the camera. By the way, Best Take not only works on photos taken with the phone, but any photos in your Google Photos library on your Pixel 8. I used Best Take to swap out faces in photos I took on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max as part of my review last month.
Best Take only works on a series of photos in a sequence. So you can’t take a photo of yourself at 40 and replace your head with one from a photo of when you were in your 20s. Also, the feature works only on people. But I can almost hear Google’s SVP for devices and services, Rich Osterloh, say at the Pixel 9 or Pixel 10 launch, “we heard you and we now offer Best Take for pets.” Applause and cheers!
Remember the Magic Eraser that debuted on the Pixel 6 that lets you remove a distraction from your photo like someone in the background? Now there’s Magic Editor on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, which lets you do even more. It can remove someone from the background or even move your photo’s subject and resize it. I replaced the sky, ground and even the entire background in some photos. Basically, if you see someone jumping abnormally high in a photo taken on a Pixel 8, beware: that person may have used the Magic Editor to exaggerate things.
For example, below is a photo I took of CNET’s Tara Brown and Theo Liggians jumping off a rock. I used the Magic Eraser, which has been around for a couple of years, to remove the rock. It’s obvious something was altered.
Below is the same photo after I used the new Magic Editor. It’s not perfect, but it’s an improvement over the Magic Eraser photo.
But why stop there? I tried the Magic Editor a second time and replaced the actual zigzag tiled ground and artificial turf with one entirely made of bricks. This obscured the shadow left from the rock and made everything look more uniform. I have no idea where the Pixel 8 came up with the replacement ground since there weren’t any bricks in the actual surface and that’s one of the downsides to using AI this way.
A majority of the time, Magic Editor generations took a matter of seconds. It didn’t feel like I waited long. But there were a couple of times where it took 10 seconds and another one time where I had to close the Google Photos app because it seemed stuck. Best Take feels like a more mature feature than Magic Editor which still has an experimental vibe to it.
The Magic Editor is a lot of fun, and I truly believe it adds another level of creativity to phone photography. But it does so while raising ethical questions around image manipulation. Fortunately, Magic Editor-generated photos have flaws, or at least the majority of the photos that I used it on did. I can usually spot the differences between photos I applied it on versus unedited images. The way the AI tries to fill in the background usually results in something looking off. But not everyone may be as photo-savvy as me, and I imagine that Google will keep refining the AI behind it to a point where it’s hard to tell the difference between an altered photo and an unedited one.
There’s one more AI-powered camera tool called Audio Magic Eraser, which can clean up audio in recorded videos for better clarity. It removes distracting background noise or music that might interfere with your video’s audio. Watch the review video that accompanies this article to see examples of it before and after, with and without the Audio Magic Eraser applied.
Using the tool was easy enough. However, the live preview didn’t reflect the changes to the audio that I made, which seems like a bug. I had to save a copy of the edited video to hear the difference Audio Magic Eraser made – which was impressive.
Taken in total, the Pixel 8 has an outstanding camera system with a lot of features you just don’t find on the more expensive iPhone 15 and Galaxy S23. It’s fascinating to see Google, who has an excellent reputation when it comes to getting the best images out of a phone camera, still be able to match the likes of Apple and Samsung all while leaning heavily into these hit-or-miss AI camera features.
My CNET colleague Andrew Lanxon, who is reviewing the Pixel 8 Pro, wasn’t as enamored with Best Take as I was.
Pixel 8 performance and battery
Google’s Tensor chip has never been about pure horsepower. Instead, it targets optimizing specific tasks and powering all those AI capabilities mentioned earlier. And that’s the case for the Pixel 8’s Tensor G3 chip. During my six days with the phone, I never ran into any performance issues. When I was downloading Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile and setting them up, the Pixel 8 did get very warm. But that was the only time I noticed this happen.
The G3 chip along with Android 14 makes the Pixel 8 a delight to use. There’s Face Unlock, which is once again secure enough to use for contactless payments, even without the Pixel 4’s fancy radar sensor. There are strange non-camera AI features like AI Wallpaper that creates an original wallpaper for your home screen based on MadLibs-style prompts. You can’t enter your own words and are limited to a list of words for each entry. I can also use Google Assistant to read articles aloud, and there’s a summarize feature that I never got to work. Anytime I asked the Assistant to summarize a story I’m met with the message, “Sorry I can’t summarize on this device yet.”
Call Screen debuted on the 2018 Pixel 3 and lets the Google Assistant answer a call while you listen in. On the Pixel 8, the Call Screen’s voice sounds like an actual human. I can’t tell if it’s fake or a recording of an actual human voice, which shows you how far Google has pushed this technology over the past five years.
The Pixel 8 has a slightly bigger battery than last year’s Pixel 7. Over the six days, the Pixel 8 had no problem making it through a full day on a single charge. I’m still working on running CNET’s arsenal of battery life tests and performance benchmarks, so check back soon for the results.
Final word on the Pixel 8
The two biggest changes to the Pixel 8 don’t have anything to do with the physical phone. The first is the price. The Pixel 8 costs $699, which is $100 more than the Pixel 6 and 7’s launch prices. But the updates you get, like the refined design, new display and main camera improvements, are worth it. And the Pixel 8’s higher price is more reflective of just how ridiculously affordable Google priced the Pixel 6 and 7 compared with other major smartphone makers at the time. Outside the US, the Pixel 8’s price increase might be steeper.
The other big feature is software support. The Pixel 8 will receive seven years of OS support, which is longer than most Android phones. But the Fairphone 5 takes the crown with 8 years of support. Will the Pixel 8 survive until 2030? Maybe? I don’t know.
But in that spirit, I casually polled some of my CNET colleagues over Slack to ask them what was the longest amount of time they owned a phone. Most kept their phones for less than 5 years, but a few of my coworkers had nearly 6-year-old phones like the iPhone 8 and Galaxy Note 8. So perhaps there is an audience for this benefit.
I recommend the Pixel 8 to anyone coming from a Pixel 6A or older, or any phone that’s at least three years old. If you’re trying to decide between the Pixel 7A and Pixel 8, know that the Pixel 8 is better in nearly every way but does cost $200 more. And in terms of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, you get 85% of that Pixel 8 Pro experience on the regular Pixel 8. The Pixel 8 Pro has a nicer screen, a new higher resolution ultra wide camera, more RAM and a dedicated 5x telephoto camera, all of which the Pixel 8 lacks. The Pixel 8 Pro also has more camera tools, like video boost, compared to the Pixel 8.
With the Pixel 8’s launch, Google’s current lineup has a phone for every budget: $499 for the Pixel 7A, $699 for the Pixel 8, $999 for the Pixel 8 Pro and $1,799 for the Pixel Fold. The Pixel 8 isn’t Google’s most affordable device, but it’s a phone most people should consider. Its AI features, reasonable price and seven years of software support help it stand out among its Pixel siblings.
Google Pixel 8 specs vs. Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 7A, Pixel 7
5G (Sub 6, mmWave); VPN by Google One; 7 years of OS, security and Feature Drop updates; front-facing camera has autofocus; 13W Qi wireless charging; 30W wired charging; USB-3.2 speeds via USB-C; IP68 dust and water resistance; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on front and back
5G (Sub 6 and mmWave); VPN by Google One; 7 years of OS, security and Feature Drop updates; front-facing camera has autofocus; 13W Qi wireless charging; 30W wired charging; USB-3.2 speeds via USB-C; IP68 dust and water resistance; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on front and back
5G, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Real Tone, Face Unblur, Long Exposure Mode, Action Pan; Hold For Me, Wait Times, Direct My Call Live Translate
US price off-contract
$699 (128GB)
$999 (128GB)
$499 (128GB)
$600 (128GB)
UK price
699 (128GB)
999 (128GB)
449 (128GB)
599 (128GB)
Australia price
AU$1,199 (128GB)
AU$1,699 (128GB)
AU$749 (128GB)
AU$999 (128GB)
How we test phones
Every phone tested by CNET’s reviews team was actually used in the real world. We test a phone’s features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it’s bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP-rating for water-resistance. We push the processor’s performance to the extremes using both standardized benchmark tools like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.
All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions from bright sunlight to dark indoor scenes. We try out special features like night mode and portrait mode and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily as well as running a series of battery drain tests.
We take into account additional features like support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds, foldable displays among others that can be useful. And we of course balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value. While these tests may not always be reflected in CNET’s initial review, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.
